HTLF Bank Makes New $3.03 Million Investment in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

HTLF Bank bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 10,215 shares of the fast-food giant's stock, valued at approximately $3,029,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MCD. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald's by 51.9% in the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of McDonald's from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $319.72.

McDonald's Stock Up 0.4 %

MCD traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $271.99. 2,904,090 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,245,232. McDonald's Co. has a 1-year low of $245.73 and a 1-year high of $302.39. The stock's 50-day moving average is $283.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.72. The stock has a market cap of $196.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald's had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald's Co. will post 12.33 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald's's payout ratio is 57.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.